Do I need to be artistic to benefit from expressive arts therapy?

Not at all. Expressive Arts Therapy isn't about making beautiful art or having artistic talent. It's simply another way of exploring experiences that can be difficult to put into words — sometimes that might look like drawing, writing, collage, movement, storytelling, or simply imagining an image or metaphor together. Everything is offered as an invitation, never an expectation.

What if I don't know where to begin?

You don't have to. Many people come to therapy knowing only that something isn't working anymore, or that they're carrying something they can't quite name. Our first conversations are simply about getting to know one another and understanding what brings you here.

Will you tell me what to do?

Rather than giving advice, therapy is a collaborative process — asking questions, offering reflections, and sometimes gently challenging patterns that may no longer be serving you, so the choices you make feel aligned with your own values.

Therapy isn't about fixing people, because people aren't fundamentally broken. Most of us have developed remarkable ways of adapting to life's challenges. Therapy is an opportunity to understand those patterns with compassion and discover new ways of relating to yourself and the world.

How long will therapy take?

There isn't one answer that fits everyone. Some people come for support through a particular life transition; others choose longer-term therapy as part of an ongoing commitment to personal growth. Progress is regularly checked in on together to make sure therapy continues to meet your needs.

What happens in the first session?

The first session is an opportunity to begin building a relationship — talking about what brings you to therapy, what's happening in your life right now, and what you're hoping for. There's no pressure to tell your entire story in one meeting.

Do you work with dreams?

Yes, if dreams are meaningful to you. Dreams are approached as one of many ways our inner lives communicate with us, explored with curiosity rather than a fixed interpretive system. Dreamwork is always optional and guided by your interest.

Couples Therapy for Neurodivergent Partners - in person in Oakland and virtually across California

Neurodivergent Couples Therapy in Oakland & Throughout California

Creative Couples Therapy for ADHD, AuDHD, and Mixed-Neurotype Partnerships

There usually comes a point in a neurodivergent relationship where the ways you’ve learned to survive—the masking, the hyper-vigilance, the over-explaining, or the quiet retreat into your own world—no longer feel like the ways you want to live together.

Maybe you find yourselves traversing that same old, exhausting loop. One of you is overwhelmed, flooded by sensory input or task paralysis, while the other feels isolated, holding the mental load and wondering why simple conversations feel so fraught. Perhaps you’re dealing with the painful cycle of ADHD hyperfocus and withdrawal, or navigating the misunderstandings that happen when an AuDHD brain (autistic/ADHD) and a neurotypical brain try to translate each other’s emotional languages.

The Challenges of Neurodivergent Partnerships

Living in a world built for neurotypical brains requires immense energy. By the time you sit down on the couch together at the end of the day, your bandwidth is often depleted. In neurodivergent couples, this can show up as

One partner seeking connection or resolution through intense talking, while the other experiences fast emotional flooding and withdraws.
Or sometimes it’s disagreements about division of labor within the home or initiation of intimacy that slowly turn into resentment, or feelings of shame and judgment.

Quite often these patterns run deep, all the way back to our early childhood attachment wounds, and it’s easy to feel angry, ashamed, or disconnected. When we are willing to face these parts of ourselves within the context of our relationships, there is profound potential for healing and loving transformation.

Direct, Relational, and Creative

Developed by Terry Real, Relational Life Therapy (RLT) is a highly effective framework, and can be particularly so for neurodivergent couples because it cuts through the BS and gets straight to the point. RLT doesn't ask you to sit passively; it is an active, collaborative framework that helps us:

Identify the "Dance": Name the exact relational dynamic pulling you apart without assigning blame or pathologizing your neurotype. In couples therapy, the relationship is the client.
Recognize adaptive mechanisms: Understand how past wounds and nervous system adaptations show up in your present conflict.
Practice radical intimacy: Shift out of defensive behaviors and step into authentic, respectful, and kind communication.

Honoring the Body

Talking doesn’t help much when your body is having a physiological reaction. Grounded in somatic embodiment and self-regulation practices, we’ll work to identify the somatic signals that are trying to get your attention, so you can catch these personal internal cues and pause before emotional flooding and overwhelm begins.

Creativity

At it’s core, creativity is about finding connection between seemingly unrelated things in order to discover new associations. We are all creative and you don’t have to be an artist to lean into your inherently creative self. When traditional talk therapy hits a spot that feels like a wall, we might use somatic tracking, metaphor, role play, or other expressive modalities to help translate what is going on. When we contact the imaginal plane, new perspectives emerge and a new way of relating becomes possible. Creativity creates choice.

What to Expect

I meet you where you are, drawing from evidence-based practices to support one central goal: helping both of you become more fully yourselves within the partnership.

No masking required. Whether you need to fidget, take breaks, process out loud, or take time to organize your thoughts, your communication styles are welcomed and there is room for all your layers here.
We will co-create this experience together.
Spaciousness to unravel and rediscover what you both value. Beneath the friction, there is a deep desire to reconnect. We’ll make space for this, and work towards the courageous vulnerability that is required to move into more loving connection.

If you are looking for a creative, neurodivergent-affirming couples therapist in the Bay Area who understands both the science of the nervous system and the art of relationship, I invite you to reach out.

I offer a complimentary 20-minute consultation so we can connect, discuss what you’re hoping for, and see if working together feels like the right fit for your relationship.

Book Your Free Consultation | Located in Oakland, CA • Virtual Sessions Across California